Profootball

A week from Sunday, Carlos Meza will join nearly two dozen friends and family members in front of the TV in his stepfather's tiny second-floor apartment. They'll gather behind tables filled with takeout pizza, tacos and sushi, and coolers filled with beer and soda, to watch the Indianapolis Colts battle the New Orleans Saints for the NFL title. "This year is going to be my 20th Super Bowl in a row," Meza, 28, said proudly. Nothing unusual about that. Last year's Super Bowl telecast drew a record 98.7 million viewers in the United States.

For many NFL prospects, life begins at 40 (yards). Covering that distance in a scorching time -- as Clemson's Jacoby Ford did Sunday at the NFL scouting combine -- can turn the heads of potential employers, just as a slow 40 time can send a player's draft stock into a tailspin. According to an NFL scout who, along with dozens of others, was keeping his own stopwatch on Ford, the 5-foot-8, 182-pound receiver clocked in at hand times ranging between 4.18 and 4.23 seconds. The official (electronic)

Gamblers know going in that the bright lights, marble tile floors and hospitable employees in this city are paid for on the broken dreams of bettors. That's part of the pull that keeps them coming back -- the challenge of beating the Man. However, on Oct. 25, Week 7 of the NFL season, the corporate types running the mighty Las Vegas sports books found themselves trapped in the unpleasant reality many have experienced in Sin City -- paying out far more than planned and begging for mercy.

If South Florida receiver Carlton Mitchell happens to find the NFL too tough, he certainly can't complain to his mother. Angela Mitchell is part of the corner team for professional boxer Antonio Tarver , among others. "She's a cut woman," Mitchell said Saturday at the NFL scouting combine. "She started with a few amateur fights, and then has always been very close to Antonio Tarver. I don't know exactly how it worked out, but all of a sudden she's working his corner.

There are more coveted offensive tackles in this NFL draft class, but none with a more compelling story than California's Mike Tepper. By Tepper's count, he told the story 40 times Thursday, the first day of the scouting combine. Most intrigued were NFL team doctors, who snapped to attention when he explained the surgery scars on his lower right leg. "When you do these medical exams downstairs with five or six doctors, they hear you broke your leg and say, 'How'd it happen?

If South Florida receiver Carlton Mitchell happens to find the NFL too tough, he certainly can't complain to his mother. Angela Mitchell is part of the corner team for professional boxer Antonio Tarver , among others. "She's a cut woman," Mitchell said Saturday at the NFL scouting combine. "She started with a few amateur fights, and then has always been very close to Antonio Tarver. I don't know exactly how it worked out, but all of a sudden she's working his corner.

Decades of futility end, 4 1/2 years after Katrina The New Orleans Saints, for decades the NFL's lovable losers, used the biggest stage Sunday to answer the question that has become their mantra. Who dat say they gonna beat them Saints? The answer: Not a soul. What once was unbelievable is now a reality. The underdog Saints are pro football's champions, 31-17 victors over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. As thousands of fans gathered in the stands behind an end zone at Sun Life Stadium chanting "Who-dat!

The Jacksonville Jaguars have an inside track on an NFL playoff berth, one of the league's most marketable stars in running back Maurice Jones-Drew and play in a sun-splashed region filled with passionate football fans. Then why, in winning Sunday for the seventh time in 10 games, did the Jaguars draw a home crowd of just 42,079, the smallest in franchise history? It's a confounding problem, one that happens regularly, and eventually could lead to the Jaguars' leaving for Los Angeles, even London, or perhaps playing part of their schedule in Orlando.

For many NFL prospects, life begins at 40 (yards). Covering that distance in a scorching time -- as Clemson's Jacoby Ford did Sunday at the NFL scouting combine -- can turn the heads of potential employers, just as a slow 40 time can send a player's draft stock into a tailspin. According to an NFL scout who, along with dozens of others, was keeping his own stopwatch on Ford, the 5-foot-8, 182-pound receiver clocked in at hand times ranging between 4.18 and 4.23 seconds. The official (electronic)

at Buffalo 30 , Indianapolis 7: "Hey, Dad, let's save up our money and go to the season finale! I've always wanted to see Peyton Manning play!" at Carolina 23, New Orleans 10: Saints have all the forward momentum of a guy on a Segway going uphill in a windstorm. at Cleveland 23, Jacksonville 17: Does winning your last four in a row really make a 5-11 finish palatable to Browns fans? Chicago 37, at Detroit 23: Lions are 2-30 over last two seasons, just two more wins than they'd have had if they fielded a team of 8-year-olds.

In one sense, Florida's Tim Tebow looks like every other high-profile quarterback at the NFL scouting combine. Yet another passer not throwing for the scouts. The challenge for Tebow is to look a little more mainstream. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner is the most intriguing work in progress in this draft class, a player who is reconstructing his throwing motion to be more NFL-friendly. He's working to eliminate his swooping windup in order to get rid of the ball quicker. An overdue overhaul?

There are more coveted offensive tackles in this NFL draft class, but none with a more compelling story than California's Mike Tepper. By Tepper's count, he told the story 40 times Thursday, the first day of the scouting combine. Most intrigued were NFL team doctors, who snapped to attention when he explained the surgery scars on his lower right leg. "When you do these medical exams downstairs with five or six doctors, they hear you broke your leg and say, 'How'd it happen?

How soon will the NFL return to Los Angeles? Developer Ed Roski believes he's at the goal line. He says he wants to buy either part or all of an existing franchise and move it to Southern California to play in an $800-million stadium he's planning to build in Industry. Coming from a heavy hitter who helped get Staples Center built, that's an intriguing concept. But Roski is far from the first man with a plan. More than a dozen have come before him, each touting "no-brainer" solutions they ultimately dumped in frustration.

The No. 1 question heading into this week's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis is just that -- the No. 1 question. Who will emerge from the combine with the inside track on becoming the top pick in April's draft? Defense is likely to dominate the top of this draft (April 22-24), and the next step in the evaluation process begins Thursday when coaches, scouts and general managers gather at Lucas Oil Stadium to test players. The three top players heading into the combine come from that side of the ball: defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska and Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma, and safety Eric Berry of Tennessee.

If pro football really is the national religion, the Mardi Gras-style victory parade for the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday displayed the varieties of religious experience: What other event would bring together Bobby Jindal, Louisiana's choirboy GOP governor, and the Ying Yang Twins, the Southern rap duo whose songs describe sexual activities that barely sound biologically possible? On Monday, Saints quarterback Drew Brees starred in the Super Bowl victor's traditional parade through Disney World.

Everybody take a deep breath. The sports hysteria of recent days is over. In our rearview mirror, thankfully, are the Super Bowl and high school football signing day. The NFL ran its annual scam and we all sat up and barked. No question, the game is great theater, the athletes are special and the chance to have a party is nice. The problem is, we have to hear about it constantly for two weeks, almost as if we are deaf or have attention deficit disorder. We get it. We know it is our civic duty to watch the commercials and buy from the advertisers so they will make enough money for even more expensive commercials for next year's Super Bowl.

Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines this week's matchups. Lines according to Glantz-Culver. Last week 12-4, overall 106-54 (.663); against spread 5-11, overall 69-91 (.431). See Farmer's video picks online at our Fabulous Forum blog at latimes/sports: Miami at Buffalo Records: Dolphins 5-5; Bills 3-7 When: Sunday, 10 a.m. TV: none. DirecTV: 704 Line: Dolphins by 3. Over/Under: 39 1/2 The Bills are finally figuring out how to use receiver Terrell Owens.

Ball on the ground . . . Ball on the ground . . . The ticket to Miami was the ball on the ground. The New Orleans Saints forced five turnovers -- and turned the NFL on its head -- on Sunday when they earned their first trip to the Super Bowl with a 31-28 overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings at the Superdome. Shrugging off 42 years of futility, the Saints finally reached the NFC mountaintop when Garrett Hartley kicked a 40-yard field goal on the opening possession of overtime.

PASSING LEADERS Saints Brees...13-15, 137 yards Colts Manning...1-2, 9 yards RECEIVING LEADERS Saints Colston...4, 61 yards Colts Addai...1, 9 yards RUSHING LEADERS Saints Bush...3, 10 yards Colts Hart...2,4 yards Momentum: The Colts had two three-and-outs, and Drew Brees passed for 137 yards as the Saints held the ball for 12:26. They were able to put only six points on the board, however, and came up empty on a third- and fourth-and-goal from the one. Did you notice?